What I am watching now – 7/21/24

July 25th, 2024

Battlestar Galactica – Season 3

Still on season 3, it was all I could do to not stop watching, the occupation thing on New Caprica was a slog. I will not get into the political aspects of it, which I assume there are since what was going on when the show came out. It did improve once they got off the planet, but now it is sinking again. I will give the show writers credit for making pretty much every single character unlikeable, it is rare to see that in a show.

Scrubs Season 2

Overall, season 2 is amazing, it does go off on a few tangents that did not age well or were just not that good. Tasty Coma Wife being one. The first episode was the Colin Hay one, wow, just an amazing episode.

Fresh off the Boat Season 2

Overall, season 1 was very strong. Season 2 is starting to lose steam. I am not sure why, but the focus is changing from the oldest son to the rest of the family. I am almost through season 2 and it is slumping, it is still funny, but not nearly as clever as it was when it started.

What I am watching now – 7/14/24

July 13th, 2024

Battlestar Galactica – Season 3

Finally finished season 2, it did get better the second half and ended strong, however, it is not as good as how season 1 ended.

I have been trying to get through the first episode of season 3 for 4 days now, damn, it is hard. I dislike the blue washed out look of the show and it makes no sense as far as the Cylon occupation

The Bear Season 3

Finished The Bear and it was, a lot of filler. I read that Christopher Storer wanted to do 3 seasons and not 4, it shows. Just a lot of nothing and the end, nothing really happened. You are kept in the dark, were the newspaper headlines fake, some or all of them. It is just silly, I am not going to rewatch and look for clues to figure out what was true and what was not. Also, the use of time skips was not a great idea, they make sense in small doses, but it was just constant and boring.

Scrubs Season 1

Pick the best sitcom of the early 2000’s, it is Scrubs, hands down, it was the best. The last episode is a 2 parter with Brendon Frazier and it a brillant piece of writing. Frazier other appearence in a later season is a Master Class on how to write a sitcom script.

Fresh off the Boat Season 1

It is a funny show, at least the early seasons were, so far season 1 has been pretty good, with the exception of the episode when the family from DC comes down to visit, that is just a painful episode. The other episdoes are good, I am about 1/2 way through season 1 and it is starting to find its footing.

What I am watching now – 6/30/24

July 2nd, 2024

Battlestar Galactica – Season 2

Season 2 started very strong, then we had several episodes that were just terrible, it took me days to get through the Black Market episode. The next one with hostages in a bar, that one was actually worse than the previous episode. Then the one with John Hurt, there is a reason that you do not promote someone who has only been in engineering, they make terrible captains.

When Sharon finally had her baby, the series has picked up, thought that episode was not good either.

The Bear Season 3

So far, and I am 2 or 3 episodes in, the show has not been great. Why is it classifed as a comedy? It is not funny, it is mainly this season people yelling at each other, the dumb part is that if they are that loud, you know the people eating and pay a small fortune for the food can hear it also. I have eaten at expensive places like that, I would leave.

What I am watching now – 6/23/24

June 23rd, 2024

The Expanse Season 6

Season 6 is too short, it never really allows the depth that they had in previous seasons. another issue is that the first 4-5 minutes of every episode is from “Strange Dogs” which is a short story about Laconia. While the story is not bad, it is kind of pointless since there is nothing after season 6 to build on it.

The other issue is, and this was a problem in the books, the way Marco is taken care of is very much a letdown. Maybe that was the point?

Battlestar Galactica – Season 2

First thins first, Season 2 is much better than Season 1 was, much better.

Introducing the Pegasus was a welcomed surprise, less so is how the crew acts. It was nice to hear the original BG theme get played, even for a minute. After the Pegasus arc is wrapped up, it goes down, it took me three tries to get past the black market episode.

How exaclty did Baltar let #6 kill her guard, kill the admiral and then get off the Pegasus, all with no camera picking it up? Things like that make me shake my head. Another thing is how they cured the president, if the cylons have no blood type, then why is no one using that for a test to root them out?

The Artful Dodger – Season 1

I finihsed it, not easy to make myself watch the last episode. A lot of people liked the series, I did not, it just felt contrived and silly.

One thing is for sure, they set it up for a second season.

Britain by Narrowboat – Season 1

I finished it, I liked it, but there was nothing really to it, other than nice camera work and decent music. That said, I would recommend.

My Name is Earl – Seasons 4

Season 4 was better than season 3, it was still up and down, but I liked it. A pox on NBC for cancelling the show with a cliffhanger like that. I did watch and interview with Jason Lee and it sounded like they had no reason to think the show would be cancelled, which is why they did the cliffhanger.

What I am watching now – 6/2/24

June 4th, 2024

The Expanse Season 5

In retrospect, season 5 is not as good as I remembered. Originally I watched seasons 1-4 with no delay, so after the masterpiece that season 1-3 are, of course season 4 was a letdown. Season 5 is good, the issue is that Naomi whines to much. She is going through a lot, I get it, but she cries and screams way to much, to the point it really got on my nerves. It has been a few years since I have read the books, however, I do not remember her crying that much in the books.

The other thing, how they got rid of Alex due to his offscreen issues, it felt like filming was already done when his issues came to light and they decided to kill him off the easy way and then just refilm one scene with Naomi and Holden.

Battlestar Galactica – Season 1

I was only able to watch a couple of episodes. While I do like it, I still have the same complaints, no one seems to notice Baltar is insane, the other thing, the one Cylon, Boomer, she is all but fondling the capture Cylon ship, yet the Chief seems to think nothing of it. Add in that he could not get the ship running but Starbuck could, it seems to me that she is a Cylon also. The show is keeping my interest, but for how much longer?

The Artful Dodger – Season 1

I watched episode 7 and while the acting is good, overall, the show kind of is just a mess. I have read the other reviews, people like it but I am really on the fence, everything just seems contrived. I have one more episode to go, I guess we will find out what happens, I have my suspicions and if they play out it will be idiotic.

Britain by Narrowboat – Season 1

I am not sure why I started watching this. Basically 2 guys bought a narrowboat and are seeing the canal system. I guess they did it to help the one guys mental health. The cinematography is great, very fun to watch and the 2 guys are very entertaining. My main complaint, there is no substance to the show, they go through these towns and they really do not talk about them or much really. I do like the show, it is short and entertaining enough that I will finish the series. Think of it as a TV sorbet.

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My Name is Earl – Seasons 3-4

Season 3 was all over the place, the prison episodes where very hit or miss. Earl being in the coma, all those episodes were very lacking. They just did not have the spark like other episodes have. I am about ½ through seas 4 and it has been much better.

What I am watching now – 5/26/24

May 27th, 2024

The Expanse Season 4

OK, season 4 was a lot better than I remembered it being. of the books, it is still the weakest of the 9. I still have issues with McMurtry being so one sided and Amos acting more like a nut job than usual. This is the first season that Amazon produced, so they decided to make it a little more “real” by having gratuitous language and some sex for no real reason. The season also eliminated all the stuff that went down on the Edward Israel, kind of makes sense. Worth the watch.

Battlestar Galactica – The Miniseries

I watched a few episodes, it is good, not great yet, but good. One huge issue I have with it is the way it was filmed, 20 years later, it has not aged well and that is being kind. My one complaint is how they are dealing with Baltar, OK, he acts like a whack job, yet Adama who should be able to pick up on a liar, does not. No one does, and that is an issue. The guy is literally making out with a Cylon in a hallway in front of guards and no one thinks to report it?

The Artful Dodger – Season 1

I am 6 episodes in and it is just not a good show, it had potential, but it just stumbles on itself trying to be more clever than it is. The bad guy is so one dimensional, it is painful. We have 2 (3?) more episodes to go, hopefully it picks up.

Dead Boy Detectives – Season 1

I did finish this last night, it is a hot mess. I know people will disagree with this, but Neil Gaiman is so very predictable in his writings. I did not realize he wrote this (forgive me) and as I was watching the afterlife rife with bureaucracy, I kept thinking it reminded me of Good Omens. While the show does have potential and they certainly set it up for season 2, it will need to really get better. My main complaint with the show, it is not subtle in what it does, it is loud, silly gimmicks for cinemaphotography and did I mention it is not subtle in the slightest?

My Name is Earl – Season 2-3

Season 2 was good, it ended with Earl going to prison, which picks up in season 3. So far it has been really hit or miss. The prison episodes were all over the place, some were very good like the COPS episode, other were just dumb. When Earl gets out, it is the same, that is when the coma episodes start and they are not very good. The supporting cast is so strong it makes it watchable still, but it is not the same greatness that seasons 1 and 2 were.

What I am watching now – 5/19/24

May 18th, 2024

The Expanse Season 4

I think the first 3 seasons are some of the best Sci-fi in the last 30 years. I thought season 4 was weak, I am rewatching it for the first time in about 4 years. As of episode 2, it is better than I remembered.

Battlestar Galactica – The Miniseries

I did not watch this when it first came out, I have always heard it was great, on the first episode and so far, it is just OK. Still setting everything up, I expect it to get better soon. Pity they did not upscale it, the image quality is miserable.

The Artful Dodger – Season 1

I am 4 episodes in, I am on the fence about it. One minute I like it, the next it is predictable and just boring. I keep thinking how anyone has all their limbs as they are cutting off someone’s hands or legs all the time. The population is not that big.

Dead Boy Detectives – Season 1

This is another one, 4 episodes in and the show is just a mess, the plot is all over the place and it is obvious where they want to go with this series. I hope it gets a lot better fast as it is boring.

My Name is Earl – Season 2

Rewatching this as I wanted to laugh. The show is insanely clever and is just funny. The supporting cast is amazing, and it just is a great show. Just watched the episode with Norm MacDonald where he plays Burt Reynolds kid, and it gives him a chance to do his Burt impersonation. 

Tales from the Loop

July 5th, 2020

I was excited to see this show, I think Amazon Prime has done a good job generally, with bringing thinks to TV that a traditional network would not.

I made it through three episodes before giving up, maybe I should have been more patient, I can’t say.

The series is set in a fictional town that is built above some sort of underground machine that a large portion of the town works for. The scientists use the machine for what, I am not really sure. In order to not give away things, I will leave it at that.

The series seems to be set in the 80’s, but they are still using rotary phones, so it makes it hard to put an exact time on things. There are robots that wonder around, so it is obvious that there is some tech that is futuristic and not of the 80’s.

Of the 3 episodes I watched, the main thing that bothered me was that there were no real surprises. The worst being the second episode, you just knew where that one was going from the moment that the “event” happened. Surely we learned something from Turnabout Intruder?

On the third episode, as soon as she turned on the thermos (that is what it looked like to me), the first thing I thought was; what is the battery life of that thing?

So what are the problems I have with the show? The show us glacially paced. I am not sure if they were going for atmosphere and a moody look or a retro-futuristic looks, I am not sure. I just know that the pace is very slow. It is kind of like they were going for a Twilight Zone style show with zingers at the end, but the pacing is so slow that it gives you time to analyze and know what will happen before it does.

Also, everything has this somber tone to it, honestly, it was depressing to watch.

Maybe I am being harsh on the show, maybe it is really good. The reviews I read indicated it was good, but it just didn’t work for me. Maybe, at some point I will watch more of it again and I will like it more.

For now, I would say pass on it and watch something else.

Wonder Wheel

June 7th, 2020

Not much to say about this movie, it is just very depressing. Yeah, that sums it up very well. Depressing.

It is set around the Coney Island Boardwalk in the 1950’s. It has a good cast, and it is directed by Woody Allen.

The acting is OK, the story is OK, but, it is just depressing.

Maybe having to stay home for months on end, but it is just not a movie that is enjoyable to watch.

I could write more, but why?

Avoid it.

Free to Play

February 2nd, 2015

Free to Play
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Ok, this is a total niche movie on the surface, but it really is not.

The whole plot of the movie could be applied to any number movies that deal with a group of people trying to make it to the top of their chosen sport.

In a nutshell you follow three team of people that play DOTA on a competitive level. They are from Singapore, the Ukraine and a group of European players that also have an American on the team.

What is DOTA you might ask, well it is short for Defense of the Ancients. I personally have never played it, but I know a lot of people that have and like it a lot. I prefer StarCraft II and those types of games more. League of Legends is pretty much a copy of DOTA, just a whole lot more popular than DOTA ever was.

The movie centers around these teams competing in a Tournament in which the winners get a $1,000,000 prize. At the time of this movie, that was the largest ever. One million is a huge Grand Prize and it really did help to make e-sports worth playing.

The movie does a decent job of focusing on the people and their trials and tribulations that they are having, not on the e-sports level, but more so on a personal level. Most of the player’s families do not really understand why they would risk so much for a game. Their families not only do not understand they are quite vocal about what a waste of time they feel playing DOTA is.

The mark of a movie that is so alien to so many is can it connect with non-gamers. My wife watched it with me and she seemed to enjoy the movie a lot, the fact that the movie did not spend any time explaining how to play DOTA and what the game was about was a good decision.

It is a pity that most people will pass over it due to the gaming nature of the movie when in reality it deals with the human nature of these young adults.

Well worth the time to see it!